Nag vs Grumble - What's the difference?
nag | grumble |
A small horse; a pony.
An old useless horse.
(obsolete, derogatory) A paramour.
* 1598 , , III. x. 11:
To repeatedly remind or complain to someone in an annoying way, often about insignificant matters.
To act inappropriately in the eyes of peers, to backstab, to verbally abuse.
To bother with persistent memories.
Other sorts of persistent annoyance, e.g.:
(onomatopoeia) A low thundering, rumbling or growling sound.
The sound made by a hungry stomach.
A complaint.
To make a low, growling or rumbling noise, like a hungry stomach or certain animals.
* {{quote-book
, year=1995
, author=Terry C. Johnston
, title=Dance on the Wind
, page=15
, passage=It made his stomach grumble in protest to think the mule was eating, and here he was worrying about her with an empty belly of his own.}}
To complain; to murmur or mutter with discontent; to make ill-natured complaints in a low voice and a surly manner.
To utter in a grumbling fashion.
* 2001 , Harry Willcox Pfanz, Gettysburg — the first day?
As nouns the difference between nag and grumble
is that nag is a small horse; a pony while grumble is a low thundering, rumbling or growling sound.As verbs the difference between nag and grumble
is that nag is to repeatedly remind or complain to someone in an annoying way, often about insignificant matters while grumble is to make a low, growling or rumbling noise, like a hungry stomach or certain animals.nag
English
Etymology 1
(etyl) nagge'', cognate with Dutch ''neggeNoun
(en noun)- Yon ribaudred nag of Egypt – Whom leprosy o'ertake!
Synonyms
* (old useless horse) dobbin, hack, jade, plugCoordinate terms
* (old useless horse) bum (racing )Etymology 2
Probably from a (etyl) source; compare Swedish .Verb
(nagg)- The notion that he forgot something nagged him the rest of the day.
- A nagging pain in his left knee
- A nagging north wind
Anagrams
* * * * ----grumble
English
Noun
(en noun)- That whiner is never without a grumble to share.
Derived terms
* grumblyVerb
(grumbl)- The distant thunder grumbles .
- He grumbles about the food constantly, but has yet to learn to cook.
- He grumbled that there was no grain "in the country" and that people were talking instead of working to provide it.